Refrigerator



F. L. HEWiTT.

REFRIGEBATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 0m31.191s.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

, hwg/wmf? FRED l.. HEWTT.

ATTORNEYS INIA@ F. L. HEWITT.

REFRIGEHMOR.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.3I.19IB.

f1 TTUR/VEYS UNTTED- sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

FRED LINCOLN HEWITT, OF' WINOHENDON, MASSACHUSETTS,- .ASSIGrNORl TO EfCONVERSE & SON C0., OF WINCHENDON, MASSACHUSETTS, AOORPORATION-OF-MASSACHUSETTS.

REFRIGERATOR PatentedJ'antG,1920;

Application lcd December 31, 1918;` Serial 110,269,071.'

To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED L. HEWITT, a

citizen of the UnitedStates, andl a resident The invention relates torefrigerators of' the household type and irrespective of the location ofthe ice compartment.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved icerefrigerator having an outer box, an inner box spaced from the outerbox, and pc rtitions interposed between the walls of the said boxes toprovide double air spaces between the walls of the boxes therebydispensing with fillings of insulating materials such as sawdust,asbestos, fibers and the like. Another object is to permit ofy formingthe interior and' exterior boxes individually and completely and toallow of assembling the boxes to hold the same. in spaced relationwithout the use of nails, screws or. similar fastening devices` orspecial fittings.` Another object is to permit of conveniently andquickly assembling the boxes without the employment of skilled laborthusallowing manufacturing of the refrigerator at. a` comparatively lowcost.

lVith thesel and other objects in view the invention consists. ofcertain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown anddescribed and then specifically ypointed out in the claims.

Apractical embodiment of the invention the improved refrigerator in theform of an ice chest;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of thesame with. theI inner boxY removedFig. 3 is acrosssection of the same.;

Fig. l'is a' transverse section of the improved refrigerator having theice compartment in the top;

Fig. 5 is a sectional perspective view of a portion of one corner ofthe. refrigerator; and n Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion ofthe spacing and holding membersk partly disassembled.

The refrigerator` illustratedin Figs. 1, 2 and Bis in the form of' anice chest having an outer box or a casinglO supported: at'itsy bottom onlegs 11 providedfwith casters 12 adapted to rest on a floor 13 or othersupport. kWithin this outer boxr 10 yand'spaced therefrom is arranged aninner box. 15 pref erably provided with a sheet metal` lining` 16 andadapted to be. closed by a cover 17 connected at its rear end by hinges18 with a top board. 19 forming part of the outer box 10. A cover 2O isconnected'by hinges 21 with the top board19 to close thetop of the.outer box 10, as will be readily understoodvby reference to Figs. 1yandBI In order to hold the inner box 15 spaced from the outer box 10 useis made. of verti- 'cally and horizontally disposed spacing and holdingmembers 25, 26, of'which the verticalI spacing and holding members 25it` onto the vertical interior angles. offtheouter box 10, and thehorizontal'spacing and'hold` ing. members 26 lit onto the interior:horizontal angles of the outer box 10 v and. abut againstfthe lower endsofthe verticalspacing andv holding members 25, as. will" be readilyunderstood by reference to Figs. 5 and`6.y T-he verticalfand horizontalspacing and holding. members 25 and 26 are pro-I vided at their` inneredges with rabb'ets 27 and 28 onto, which vfit the arris of the innerbox 15 thus spacing the inner box 15'l from the outer box 10.`andholdingthe inner. box in .position within they outer box withouty theuse offnails, screws, or other similar: fasteningC devices. Itwill benoticedfthat by the arrangementv described the outer and inner boxesA10" and 1'5 can be individually manui` facturedandth'e spacing and"holding members can be. readily placedin .position in the outer box.10` andV their the4 inner box 1'5"can be: readilyy placedl'` in positionon thesaid spacing and holding,membersr5l and 26-1 Fachv verticalspacing andf holding mem ber 25 vis provided on its innersidewithvertically disposed' grooves 30' and 31, Vand theprovided` atthetop andthe inner sides with' horizontal grooves 32, 33, of which the.

grooves 32. register with the grooves-30 31V while the grooves 33'registerwith each other. The registering grooves 30 and 32 are engagedby partions or walls 40, and a similar partition or wall 41 fits intothe registering grooves 33 whereby the partitions 40 and 41 are heldspaced between the corresponding walls of the outer and inner boxes l()and 15, thus providing between corresponding walls double air spaces, asplainly indicated in Figs. l, 2 and 3. It will be noticed that thepartitions' 40 and 41 together with the spacing and holding members 25,26 form a third or insulating box intermediate the outer box 10 and theinner box 15. It will further be noticed that the vertical andhorizontal spacing and holding members 25 and 26 when assembled form theframe of the insulating box and securely hold the partitions or walls 40and 41 in place and at the same time the said frame forms a support forthe inner box 15.

lThe vertical spacing and holding members 25 extend from the bottom ofthe outer box 10 to within a distance of the top of the said box and thetop of the inner box 15, and the horizontal spacing and holding members26 abut against the lower ends of the said vertical spacing and holdingmembers 25 to hold the spacing and holding members firmly in positionwithin the outer box, thus holding the inner box 15 in position withoutthe use of nails, screws or other fastening devices. The tops of thepartitions 40 are flush with the upper ends of the vertical spacing andholding members 25. A sealing frame 50 ts onto the top of the inner box15 and extends over the partitions 40 and the members 25 and abutsagainst the inner faces of the walls of the outer box 10 thus closing orsealing the upper ends of the air spaces formed by the verticalpartitions 40.

In the ice chest above described and shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the outerand inner boxes 10 and l5 are open at the top while in the refrigeratorshown in Fig. 4 the outer and inner boxes 60 and 61 are open at thefront and the inner box 6l is provided with a horizontal partition 62dividing the inner box into an upper or ice compartment 63 and a loweror storage compartment 64. 'Ihe compartments 63 and 64 are adapted to beopened and closed by suitable doors 65 and 66. The general constructionof the boxes 60 and 61 is the same as above described in reference tothe ice chest and similar vertical and horizontal spacing and holdingmembers 25 and 26 are provided and likewise partitions 40 and 41 toprovide double air spaces between the corresponding walls and the innerand outer boxes 60 and 6l. As this construction is exactly the same asthe one above described it is not deemed necesary to further describe orillustrate such construction.

It will be noticed that I do not limit myself to the particular type ofrefrigerator as the improvements above set forth are readily applicableto refrigerators of the household type and irrespective of whether thelocation of the ice compartment is at the bottom, the top or at one end.

In practice the outer and inner boxes 10 and l5 are constructedseparately and the spacing and holding, members are cut to proper lengthfrom a strip or bar provided with the rabbet and the two grooves. Thespacing and holding members are readily placed in position in the outerbox. The

partitions are next placed in position in the grooves after which theinner box 15 is inserted in the outer box 10 with the arris fitting therabbets of the vertical and horizontal members. If the refrigerator isin the form of an ice is next placed in position and fastened down bynails if desired. The covers 17 and 2O are next attached to complete theice chest.

If the refrigerator is in the form shown in Fig. 4, the parts areassembled practically in the same manner as above described but theframe is dispensed with and spacing and holding members are used insteadto seal the fronts of the air spaces, as will be readily understood byreference to Fig. 4. The doors 65 and 66 are hinged on a door frame 67fitting into the registering front openings of the outer and inner boxes60 and 61. It is understood that in assembling the outer box, the innerbox and the intermediate or insulating box they become locked in placeby frictional contact of the members and without the use of nails,screws or other fastening devices and which devices are liable to formheat conductors especially upon passing through the air spaces thusspoiling the insulating efliciency.

The boxes are preferably made of wood but other non-conducting materialssuch as ber boards and the like may be used.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. A refrigerator, comprising an outer box, an innerbox and an insulating box intermediate the said outer and inner boxes,the outer and inner boxes being unitary rigid structures and theinsulating' box being made of walls, and a sectional frame having meansfor receiving and holding the said walls whereby the use of nails or thelike is obviated, the frame fitting into the outer box and forming asupport for the inner box.

2. A refrigerator, comprising an outer box, an inner box, and spacingand holding members detachably fitting onto the interior angles of theouter box and provided with rabbets into which lit the arris of the saidinner box to hold the latter spaced from the outer box, to retain thespacing and holding members in position land to chest then the sealingframe hold the inner box in position by frictional contact.

3. A refrigerator, comprising an outer box, an inner box, spacing andholding members itting onto the interior angles of the outer box andprovided with rabbets into which fit the arris oi the said inner box tohold the latter spaced from the outer box and to hold the inner box inposition by rictional contact, the said spacing and holding membersbeing provided with grooves parallel to the said' rabbets, andpartitions fitting intothe said grooves and extending between the wallsof the said outer and inner box to provide double dead air spaces.

4. A refrigerator, comprising an outer box, an inner box, the boxeshaving registering openings, spacing and holding bars fitting the innerangles oi the said outer box and provided with rabbets engaged by thearris of the said interior box, the said spacing and holding bars beingprovided intermediate the said boxes with grooves,

z and partitions fitting the said grooves and extending between thecorresponding walls of the said outer and inner boxes to pro-vide doubleair spaces between such walls.

5. A refrigerator, comprising an outer box, an inner box, the boxeshaving registering openings, spacing and holding bars fitting the innerangles of the said outer box and provided with rabbets engaged by thearris of the said interior box, the said spaeing and holding bars beingprovided intermediate the said boxes with grooves, partitions fittingthe said grooves and extending between the corresponding walls of thesaid outer and inner boxes to provide double air spaces between suchwalls, and a sealing means extending over the said partitions and thesaid dead air spaces to seal the latter. i

6. A refrigerator, comprising an outer box, an inner box, the boxeshaving registering openings, spacing and holding bars itting the innerangles of the said outer box and provided with rabbets engaged by thearris of the said interior box, the said spacing and holding bars beingprovided intermediate the said boxes with grooves, partitions fittingthe said grooves and extending between the corresponding walls of thesaid outer and inner boxes to provide double air spaces between suchwalls, the walls of the outer box projecting beyond the walls of theinner box at the said registering openings of the said boxes and thepartitions having their free edges substanI tially iush with the arrisof the inner box, and a sealing frame fitting onto the opening edge ofthe walls of the inner box and extending over the said partitions andthe said air spaces and abutting against the inner aoes of theprojecting portions of the walls of the outer box.

FRED LINCOLN HEWITT.

